Giants, Nationals react to the Bryce Harper-Hunter Strickland fight

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The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with the San Francisco Giants Jeff Samardzija, left, during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland is punched by the Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland is punched by the Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with the San Francisco Giants Michael Morse, center, and Jeff Samardzija, left, during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with the San Francisco Giants Michael Morse, center, and Jeff Samardzija, left, during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) is pulled away from the San Francisco Giants Jeff Samardzija, left, by teammate Daniel Murphy (2) during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with the San Francisco Giants Jeff Samardzija, left, during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland, center, is carried off field by teammates George Kontos, left, and Mac Williamson (51) during the eight inning of their game against the Washington Nationals on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland fights the Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco. Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

“To go inside. Obviously I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple times to him and he’s taken advantage of it. So just mostly go inside and obviously I got it inside a little too far.”

What was your reaction as he charged?

“I didn’t know and I didn’t expect that. But it’s part of the game and it’s what he decided to do.”

Do you understand how the optics are bad, given the two home runs you allowed in 2014 and the back and forth after that?

“Yeah, I can see how that kind of stands in peoples’ minds. But that’s the past. Like I said, I left the ball over the plate to him a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. So obviously I’d rather miss in than over the plate.”

“I was pretty fired up to be honest with you, but it’s just adrenaline and it’s part of the game.”

If there was no intent to hit him, will you apologize?

“I think we’ll just kind of leave it as it is and if need be we’ll go from there. But as of right now, it’s be ready to play tomorrow.”

Did you come out of that all right?

“I feel great. Yeah. No, I’m 100 percent.”

Bryce Harper

Were you expecting this?

“Not in that situation. Especially since it’s been three years. They won the World Series that year. I wasn’t really thinking about it at all. When someone comes at you like that, and throws a 98 mile per hour fastball where he did, I wasn’t very happy with it. I just took it into my hands a bit, and tried to go after him.”

Why did you feel the need to take care of it yourself?
San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland is punched by the Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

“I don’t want to go on a baseball field and try to fight somebody. Especially when it’s somebody that it’s in the past. It’s so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don’t know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens. “

Did you think about the likelihood of getting suspended by charging the mound?

“I mean a baseball’s a weapon, and being able to use that to his advantage, that’s just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go and get him. You can’t hesitate. You either go to first base or go after him. I decided to go after him.

What were you doing with your helmet?

“I was just trying to go after him with the helmet or just myself. I was just trying to do what I needed to do to keep it going, I guess. I don’t know. In that situation, you see red. You just try to do the best you can and get out of there and not get crushed by one of their teammates coming in.”

Have you ever been more certain you were thrown at?

“Nah, I mean that’s probably the first time I was certain that somebody was going to try to throw at me. I wasn’t going up there thinking about it, but after he did it, I was like OK, that was intentional. I did what I had to do, I guess. “

Do you want to see baseball step in to change these situations?

“One thing I gotta say about Strickland. He hit me in the right spot. I do respect him for that. He didn’t come up and in in the face or anything like that which some guys do. I respect him on that level. He could have come up and in and got me somewhere you don’t want to get hit in. But he got me in the hip and things like that, but there’s some times when it’s just not relevant.

“That was a spot where it’s just not relevant. That was three years ago, a thousand days I guess you could say. I don’t know why he’s thinking about it. He’s got a World Series ring. It’s on his finger. He can look at it every single night he wants to. There’s nothing to be thinking about the first round for, because we were out and they were playing Kansas City in the World Series.”

“I think they were shocked. I think as a team, the Giants might have been shocked a little bit. My head was on a swivel as quick as I could to not get taken out by someone on their team or something like that. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I think they were definitely shocked at the situation and the fact that he would do something like that three years later.”

Are you good?

“I’m fine. I’m OK. I have a scratch on my arm, that’s about it. I think it’s actually from Rendon coming in and grabbing me. But yeah, I mean I’m fine. I feel fine.”

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Giants manager Bruce Bochy

Did anyone get hurt?

“Right now as far as I know they all came out of it fine. It’s unfortunate, an incident like that. And it looks bad, it does. There’s no question about that. Harper gets hit and you’re looking at a guy who’s given up some home runs. He’ll tell you he was trying to come in. He didn’t want to make a mistake there. And it looks bad. So you’ve got two guys who probably don’t care for each other much. So it’s unfortunate. It really is. And it was a pretty good pile. So we’re probably lucky somebody on either side didn’t get hurt in that situation.”

Did you talk to Strickland?
The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with the San Francisco Giants Jeff Samardzija, left, during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Harper was hit by a pitch from the Giants Hunter Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

“I have yeah just briefly, between checking on him and asking him about the situation, because we play … we’re trying to win a ballgame. It’s 2-nothing and I had to talk to him, obviously. We don’t do things out of the ordinary or from what I want. We go out there and try to win a ballgame. It’s a situation where I needed to talk to him and make sure we’re straight with something, so we did talk.”

What do you expect in terms of discipline?

“I don’t know. Who knows? It doesn’t look good, a guy gets hit. But also on their side, Harper is throwing his helmet. Strick is standing his ground. He’s got no choice there. So I can’t tell you what’s going to happen.”

“You know, what I think got lost in all this is I thought Moore pitched a nice ballgame against a tough lineup. He gave us a chance and we just couldn’t do much with their starter. It’s tough when you lose and get a quality start like we did.

“It’s a 2-0 game, and that cost us a run too, by the way. So we’re down three and had the bases loaded (in the bottom of the eighth). A base hit could’ve scored two and so that could have played a huge role in this game. It could have but it didn’t.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker

What was your take on what happened?

“We were ahead 2-0, two outs, nobody on base, that’s a prime time to hit somebody if you’re going to hit him. It looked like it was intentional to me. What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag. If he’s human with emotions, I know he took him deep in the playoffs a couple times, he probably took exception to that. Baseball is a game where you don’t forget, and you can hold grudges for a long, long time. That was my take.”

What are you trying to do when you go on the field?

“My first reaction is I can’t get there as quickly as I used to. My second reaction was I didn’t want to get anybody stepped on or anybody hurt. Tempers were quite high. I think the umpires did a great job of breaking it up and not tossing anybody more than the pitcher and Bryce. That was my first reaction, was for nobody to get hurt. I’ve seen those incidents turn into an ugly brawl. I think their bench over there, their coaching staff and our coaching staff did a good job of trying to break it up.”

Did you know the history from the 2014 NLDS?

“No. I wasn’t here. I watched it on TV. It was a long time ago. But like I said, baseball you can hold grudges for a long time. I even have a couple I’ve been carrying for years. It happens.”

Are you concerned about a suspension for Harper?

“I don’t know. Like I said, what’s a man supposed to do? That clearly wasn’t going inside. That’s throwing at a spot where you can’t get out of the way. If anybody should get suspended, I think it should be their pitcher should get suspended, not ours. Ours was reacting to being hit.”

Giants catcher Buster Posey

What was Strickland’s intent? To go in?

“That was the pitch, a fastball in.”

Why didn’t you try to stop Harper from charging the mound?

“Well, after it happened I kind of saw Harper point and the next thing you know he’s going out after him. There’s some big guys tumbling around on the ground. You see Mike Morse is as big as they come and he’s getting knocked around like a pinball. It’d be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.”

Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy

Reaction?

“Completely uncalled for. Harper hits one in the Cove in a big spot off him, from what I understand. I think I remember seeing it live. And then Hunter waits three years to get him. If the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season. So he waits three years to get him? Completely uncalled for.”

What do you as teammate?
San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland, center, is carried off field by teammates during the eight inning of their game against the Washington Nationals on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, Calif. Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch from Strickland that started a fight between the two teams. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

you don’t have anybody coming in from the back of the pile, or get guys that are in the pile out of there. The thing about it is, it’s almost like hockey where you can let two guys go after it and fight out their beef. And then hopefully in things like that, you cannot get anybody hurt and lose them. That’s the thing about it: Because one guy wants to take a shot at a guy, you put 50 guys at risk. I think you can see from the way their teammates reacted, that was him taking a shot on his own. It’s unfortunate that’s what happened.”

Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth

Reaction?

“I don’t know how many of those I’ve been in. I’ve seen quite a few. I’ve been the main character in quite a few of them. I’ve been a first responder. But you’re just going out there to either help out your teammate or fight somebody on the other team. It just depends on who you run into and how it goes. I think it’s probably all over at this point. No sense re-hashing anything. It’s just part of the game.”

Did it cross your mind in the last three years that something like this might happen?

“Well, you can’t assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do. History is history. Some people hold it in higher regard than others. Those thoughts always linger in the back of your mind, but I don’t know, I didn’t really have much to do with it. But at the same time, I think I was probably thinking along the same lines that something could happen. And in this game, it usually does. I think I ended up being the first one on the scene. So I may or may not have been ready for the whole thing.”